FACT CHECK: Sara Duterte video message for PMA class of 2025 is manipulated

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A video of Vice President Sara Duterte addressing the Philippine Military Academy Siklab-Laya Class of 2025 was misused to make it look like Duterte was sending the message to all 2025 graduates

Claim: A Facebook video shows Vice President Sara Duterte addressing all 2025 graduates in the country in a video message. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The video, posted on May 22, has already gotten an estimated 591,000 views, 23,700 reactions, 3,300 comments, and 2,800 shares. 

The text on the upper part of the video says, “Message to the Graduates 2025,” while Duterte is delivering her message. The 16-second video used a clip of Duterte reminding the graduates not to be an instrument of abuse, betrayal, and oppression. 

“Class of 2025, sa inyong pagtatapos, huwag sana kayong maging kasangkapan ng pagmamalabis, pagtatraydor, at pagpapahirap ng mga nasa kapangyarihan sa mga kapwa Pilipino,” Duterte said. 

(Class of 2025, as you graduate, may you not become instruments of abuse, betrayal, and oppression of fellow Filipinos by those in power.)

The facts: The video message of the Vice President is addressed to Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Siklab-Laya Class of 2025 and not to all 2025 graduates in the Philippines. 

Duterte originally said, “Binabati ko ang Siklab-Laya Class of 2025 ng Philippine Military Academy sa inyong pagtatapos.” (I congratulate the “Siklab-Laya” Class of 2025 of the Philippine Military Academy on your graduation.)

The video includes only the “Class of 2025” part, and excludes reference to the PMA class, to make it look like the Vice President is addressing all graduates of the outgoing academic year. 

Manipulated video: The background of the original video was removed and replaced with photos of politicians who criticized Duterte. 

Included were former Kabataan Party-list representative Raoul Manuel, former Gabriela representative Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Representative France Castro, former Manila 6th District representative Benny Abante, and others. The video indirectly communicates Duterte’s message to her critics.

Graduation messages: Recent graduation messages of the Vice President in her official Facebook page include the video message for PMA Siklab-Laya on May 22, 2025 and for the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) 46th Commencement Exercises posted on April 28, 2025. 

The graduation message from the Department of Education (DepEd) for 2025 graduates was given by Secretary Sonny Angara, who replaced Duterte since she resigned on June 19, 2024. 

In 2024, a graduation message from Duterte was sent directly to field offices as the department warned the public of a fake graduation message circulating online. 

Duterte was appointed DepEd secretary in 2022 but she stepped down after two years, following controversies stemming from alleged misuse of confidential funds and the rupture within the UniTeam, the alliance between the Dutertes and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com

Angelee Kaye Abelinde, a campus journalist from Naga City, is a second-year Journalism student of Bicol University and the current copy editor of The Bicol Universitarian. She is a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024. 

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